Thursday, November 14, 2013

Todd Christensen, a five-time Pro Bowl tight end with the
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1978-1988,
died Wednesday at a hospital near his home in Alpine, Utah, from
complications during liver transplant surgery. He was 57 years old.

Christensen, a devout Mormon, did not drink. His family
believed the liver problems began 25 years ago after a "botched" gall
bladder operation.

Christensen came out of BYU as a running back, but late
Raiders owner Al Davis saw something else. "He was a hybrid tight end, an
H-back before it came a football term," says former Raiders coach Tom
Flores.

Playing at 6-3, 230 in the NFL, Christensen finished with
461 receptions for 5,872 yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season,
including 92 catches for 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1983.

"He brought a lot to table as a person and a
personality, and also on the football field he could catch everything thrown
his way basically," says Jim Plunkett, the former quarterback who teamed
with Christensen on two Super Bowl runs. "He was a big, barrel-chested guy
at one time, and he had knack for getting between the ball and the
defender."

Nicknamed The Renaissance Man for his varied interests,
Christensen left football for broadcasting, including at NBC Sports, ESPN and
the CBS Sports Network.

"I remember Todd always using big words and quotes from
famous authors and poets," Flores says. "He was comical at times
because no one knew what he was talking about."

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Richie Incognito once bullied a teammate so badly that the
teammate suddenly got up from the ground and stomped out of football practice.

It was early 2002 — long before Incognito was accused of
similar behavior with the Miami Dolphins. Incognito was just a freshman at
Nebraska, but that didn't stop him from picking fights or harassing teammates,
in this case plowing into a teammate's back during practice, knocking him to
the ground for no apparent reason. The teammate responded by getting up,
grabbing his equipment and walking out.

Incognito's promising college career at the University of Nebraska
ended as a result of anger (fights with teammates, opponents and random
students led to suspension).

As a member of the Rams from 2006 to 2009, Incognito
committed 38 penalties, drawing more flags for unnecessary roughness (seven)
than anyone else in that span. The St. Louis Rams gave up on him after he
head-butted two opponents in 2009, the latest of the 38 penalties he committed
with the Rams in four seasons. The Buffalo Bills claimed him, but dumped him
after three games.

Incognito was voted the league’s dirtiest player in a 2009
Sporting News survey of 99 NFL players.

How one can be voted to this honor and have no action taken
against him by the league is beyond me.

Allegations this week that Incognito bullied a younger
teammate, Jonathan Martin, who left the Dolphins, may be the last straw.

After all this, one might wonder why is he still employed in
the NFL?

One word: Talent. In football, mean streaks can be assets as
long as they stay under control. But that has always been the issue for
Incognito: Can he control it this time after not being able to control it
previously?

The answer appears to be no. Since his freshman year at
Nebraska, all of his college and pro teams have ended up suspending him,
cutting ties with him or both.

In previous interviews with reporters, Incognito and his
father indicated other students ridiculed him for being overweight as a child. His
father told NFL.com that he gave his son advice: "If you let anyone give
you (expletive) now, you're going to take (expletive) your entire life."

"When somebody is bullied or there's any type of abuse
in their life, we see the cycle of abuse repeated in many different ways,"
said Shana Alexander, a psychologist in California who has worked with sports
teams. "They act out sometimes all the way through their lives. Unless
that person can recognize they have issues and want to change that pattern, it
tends to want to repeat itself."

I would counter to Ms. Alexander that the senior Incognito’s
advice was similar to advice my own father gave me, but my father followed it
up with strong words about never wanting to see me be a bully.

But when I was being bullied as a child and ran into the
house, he made me go back out into the street and stand my ground. I took a
beating that day….but made enough of a show that the bully looked for sport elsewhere
the next day.

I do not condone Incognito’s behavior, but I wonder why
Martin put up with it?

After all, it is not like Martin is a cheerleader-he
plays on the line as well, and looks like he can handle himself.

While I think Incognito will deserve whatever
punishment the league hands out, I have a problem with a three hundred pound
man who cannot stand up for himself and crying "bully."

And where were the other linemen during all this? Isn’t the
offensive line supposed to function as a unit?

Many of Martin's teammates seem to side with Incognito. Apparently, the two were inseparable off the field. Said one teammate, "If Richie was terrorizing him, he had a funny way of showing it."

People face bullies throughout their life. Usually as an
adult, it is non-physical, but the willingness to stand one’s ground is (in my opinion), an integral part of the conflict resolution skill set.

There may come a day when Martin will have no league official to fight his battle for him. I hope he is prepared.

And for Incognito? Sadly, some team will probably be desparate enough for a lineman that he will play again. I just hope he is faced with a rookie who hits him over the head with a chair. He needs to learn a lesson that he should have been taught a long time ago.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Last month, it was soccer gone wild in Brazil, when, after
an argument over a red card, the incident escalated into the stabbing of a
player and the dismemberment of a referee in an amateur game.

It all started when the referee expelled the player from an
amateur soccer game.

The two got into a fist fight, then the referee took out a
knife and stabbed the player, who died on his way to the hospital.

After the ref fatally stabbed the player, fans responded
with his beating, stoning, murder and dissection, culminating with decapitating
Silva and leaving his head on a stake in the middle of the field.

I guess there can be only one…

This week, an Australian man attending an Oklahoma
college on a baseball scholarship was shot and killed in what police described
Monday as a random act of violence by three "bored" teenagers who
decided to kill someone for the fun of it.

If that is not proof that baseball needs more excitement, I
don’t know what is.

Instead of punishing A-Rod, I say let’s bring back Barry
Bonds and start doling out the ‘roids.

Get these guys bigger and more
aggressive. Give the people what they want!

Those Brazillian soccer fans know how to party!

From now on, when a pitcher hits a batter with a pitch,
knock him out!

And if the batter can still stand-he’s got a bat, go to town on
the guy! After all, he's tagging you with that ball because he thinks you are feeble.

In football, when a kicker misses an extra point…well what
they did on the field in Brazil would certainly serve as a long overdue notice to all those
prima-donna kickers.

All they have to do is kick a frickin’ ball!

Maybe seeing a kicker's head on the uprights would be a little incentive...

The NFL is spending all this time trying to make football
less violent.

Why?

Soccer is the NUMBER ONE sport in the world!

Because they DECAPITATE THE REFEREES! That is must-see TV!

We’re following the world example with Marxism, socialized
medicine, and a failing economy….when are we going to get in line with our
sports?

Sunday, August 4, 2013

....alternate title "PHUC PHILADELPHIA"All this bullshit political correctness makes me view my upcoming colonoscopy as a welcome diversion.Okay, I get that Riley Cooper calling a black bouncer a "nigger" was maybe not a nice thing to do, and even more so an error for him since, as a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, he is in the public eye.

Recently, Philadelphia's mayor said that if Cooper worked in his office, he would seriously consider firing him.Mayor Nutter says "all of us...should be offended by these comments."Really?Let's review.Cooper was at a Kenny Chesney concert (maybe THAT is a firing offense), had an altercation with a bouncer and was captured on video saying he would "fight every nigger here."And I will take it on faith he meant to offend.First, Mayor Nutter, it was ONE comment. Apparently mayors do not need to know basic arithmetic in their roles.And I certainly would not say that anyone should not be disappointed to hear of the incident.But when the video surfaced almost TWO MONTHS LATER, all of America earned a collective Oscar nomination for their faked shock and offense.Why do I say faked?First of all, Cooper sounds to me like a young guy who showed poor judgment when lashing out at someone in anger. I am simply not convinced that this is more than that. This guy plays in a sport where blacks are represented far more than they are in the general population, and I would find it hard to believe he would harbor strong bigoted feelings after years in integrated locker rooms.

Second, Cooper said what he said to one man. THAT man has every right to be offended. I will even allow that any black within earshot has the right to be offended.But all of the asswipes who saw the video two months after the fact and act like they were a victim do not have that right. Grow your sorry-liberal-politically-correct-go-along-with-the-crowd-ignorant-sheep-asses up!Steven A. Smith on ESPN, evaluating whether the apology Cooper issued was "contrite" enough. Piss off, you gelded, spineless corporate puppet! He did not call YOU anything, so he does not have to apologize to you. I just called you plenty and I'm not sorry about it.Same to you Michael Nutter, who does not deserve to be mayor simply on the silly last name-if you fire someone who is good at their job for doing something perfectly legal (if in bad taste) while not at work, it makes you an ass. I have to go to Philadelphia this week to settle some family affairs, but am tempted never to return until your sorry ass is out of office so I don't have to see your lame-ass face in that picture in the airport.Cooper needed to apologize to the man at the concert, because he did react childishly and offensively.And to his teammates, because he embarrassed the organization.He did.And that should be the end of it. There would be some locker room and on-field antics until it fully was in the past, but it would eventually blow over.And if the incident did not repeat itself, even those who felt hurt upon hearing of the slur, would move on.Instead the team, in dire need of talent at wide receiver, suspends a man who would be a starter, which will also prolong this punk-ass drama in the media, where it has already received far more attention than it deserves.

America-why are putting a white sheet on this man? Lighten up and let it go!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The cast of an Atlanta sports radio show has been fired
after mocking a former NFL player who has Lou Gehrig's disease, a station
official said Monday.

The show, "Mayhem In The AM," was broadcast on 790
The Zone on Monday morning. In a statement, general manager Rick Mack said the
station regrets comments made about former New Orleans Saints safety Steve
Gleason.

The 36-year-old Gleason suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
which he was diagnosed with in 2011. ALS patients lose the ability to speak,
move and eat, which has happened to Gleason.

He wrote a column SI.com on Monday, using technology that
allows him to use his eyes to write, detailing his life with the disease, his
interactions with his 19-month-old son Rivers, and his efforts to help others
with ALS.

"I am well into the disease progression. I am unable to
walk, talk or eat. In some ways, this stage of the process is less frustrating
than previous stages. I often feel normal. I forget that it's weird to eat
through a tube or be in a wheelchair. Still, I can't deny that it's a
struggle," he wrote.

Team Gleason, an organization named after the former NFL
player, is geared toward finding a cure for ALS, raising awareness of the
disease and connecting patients to technology, equipment and services tailored
to fit their needs.

790 The Zone lists the hosts as Nick Cellini, Steak Shapiro
and Chris Dimino. But Mack didn't give the names of those fired.

During the segment, two of the on-air personalities took a
call from a third host who pretended to be Gleason by using a voice that
sounded automated -- mimicking another ALS patient, world-renowned physicist
Stephen Hawking.

The host pretending to be Gleason told a series of jokes and
eventually asked the two others to do him a favor by smothering him.

All three took to Twitter on Monday evening to apologize to
fans and others who criticized the segment. Listeners and critics turned to the
station's Facebook page to call for the hosts' termination.

The Atlanta Falcons issued a statement on Monday denouncing
the radio hosts' comments.

"The content concerning Mr. Gleason was completely
inappropriate and is not representative of the views of the Falcons
organization, nor does it represent the way we conduct our business on and off
the field," the statement said. "To single out Steve the way he was
this morning is totally lacking in taste and discretion."

Gleason played for the Saints between 2000 and 2006.

I’d heard an objection on a show this morning that the hosts
should be protected by the First Amendment.

Sorry guys.

First off, sometimes a joke, no matter how funny it may be,
shouldn’t be shared. This was in poor taste, and just mean.

But you got your
first amendment privileges and were able to do the routine on the air.

But the First Amendment does not guarantee you a job. So
when advertisers, fans and Atlanta officials started exerting pressure, the axe
had to fall.

Want to see my impression of an out-of-work morning sports
radio host? It’s a riot!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

He had handled so
much adversity with class, maturity, and heck-grace!

His
well-published long road to starting quarterback and Super Bowl champion, being
demoted from starter time and again, criticism over his public expressions of
faith, being demoted from starter time and again, criticism over his wife’s comments
to the St. Louis media, criticism over his “toughness.”

He handled the criticism and adversity with class, never disparaging his teammates or coaches, and kept on plugging, traded first to the Giants and then to Arizona, retaking the starting job and leading the Arizona Cardinals, a perennial sad sack franchise, to their first Super Bowl appearance.

On so many
levels, he is a class act, and I think his on-the-field play warrants Hall of
Fame consideration.

But this post is
not about Kurt Warner. It is about his first nemesis.

Tom Brady.

As Kurt put it on
an ESPN special, the Rams-Patriots contest that year turned Tom Brady into TOM
BRADY.

I have never
forgiven Tom Brady for beating Warner in the Super Bowl (not to mention going
on to beat the Eagles, and then making me root for the Giants, not once-but
twice).

But after the
story broke this week about Brady’s contract extension, I have to begrudgingly
admit that Brady is one heckuva team player.

Now I do not want
to paint him as Mother Theresa-he is after all, a millionaire several times
over, and married to a wife with a pretty lucrative modeling career of her own.
I do not think they have to worry about how to fund college for little ones Ben
and Vivian.

But this is the
second time Brady took a considerable amount less on his market value to allow
the team owners more salary cap room to build a championship team around him.

After all, he is
certainly worth more than Drew Bress, who milked the Saints for every penny he
could.

You could argue
Brady should be the highest paid quarterback in the league...at $15 million, he’s
not in the top five for 2013.

Stafford,
Lions-$20.8M

Manning,
Giants-$20.4M

Manning,
Broncos-$20.0M

Brees,
Saints-$17.4M

Rivers,
Chargers-$17.1M

Since the
Patriots will undoubted spend the salary cap room saved on this renegotiation
in free agency, the Patriots, who looked pretty formidable in 2012 up until
facing the Ravens in the AFC Championship game.

So when Brady says (and he did this week), "I just want to win," you tend to believe him.

Not only do I
think the Patriots are still a dynasty...I would not bet against them to win it
all next year!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

A couple of months ago I'd posted about the doping scandal surrounding Lance Armstrong and the media pile-on.

I was torn then, because I'd given Armstrong the benefit of the doubt.

I was wrong-he did cheat.

While I certainly do not condone cheating, or even him lying about cheating, there was behavior Armstong exhibited that is even more deplorable.

And I'm not talking abouit him getting in between me and Sheryl Crow (although I really think I had a chance except for the fact that the closest I ever got to her was the lawn seats at Phoenix's Desert Sky Pavillion).

Lance Armstrong went after people who accused him of doping like a mad dog.

He has filed lawsuits for defamation of character and libel, been sued for behavior described as "systemic bullying and harassment," and earned a vicious reputation for going after people who went after him, to the point of damaging the reputations of people who, as it turns out, were telling the TRUTH.

And last week, Armstrong went on Oprah to "confess."

No one goes to Oprah to confess. They go to Oprah to get all misty-eyed and act contrite and win back the approval of the people.

Lance, you are full of shinola.

I read an interesting post this morning from C'est La Vie discussing whether it was acceptable to support the Livestrong charity, or whether that was simple an attempt by Armstrong to buy himself some respect.

I do believe it is acceptable to separate Armstrong's deplorable behavior from his good behavior, and in fact, even if his involvement in Livestrong was a ploy, Livestrong does some good, so I think people should go on supporting the organization.

No one is all "good" or all "bad."

Well maybe Mother Theresa and Ghandi were all "good."

Maybe Hitler and Saddam Hussein were all "bad."

But Hitler liked dogs. And Saddam's children probably loved him.

Life is not black and white.

You had to know I was going to find a way to justify a Sheryl Crow picture in this post, right?

Sheryl Crow said that it would have been difficult for her ex-fiance, former cycling champion Lance Armstrong, to keep his doping secret any longer.

"I think that honesty is always the best bet and that the truth will set you free," Crow told ET's Nancy O'Dell. The musician told ET she only saw "bits and pieces" of Armstrong's confession interview with Oprah Winfrey. "To carry around a weight like that would be devastating in the long run."

Ms. Crow is right-the confession is a good start, assuming it is truly a confession and not a public relations ploy.

Armstrong has lost a lot.

Of all that he has lost, I believe his integrity is the most precious commodity.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The family of Junior
Seau has sued the NFL, claiming the former linebacker's suicide was the result
of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California
Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its "acts or
omissions" that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says
Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from those hits, and
accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks
associated with traumatic brain injuries.

Seau, a linebacker who played 20 seasons in the NFL and retired in 2009, died at age 43 of a
self-inflicted gunshot in May. He was diagnosed with CTE, based on posthumous
tests, earlier this month.

Helmet manufacturer Riddell Inc., also is being sued by the
Seaus, who say Riddell was "negligent in their design, testing, assembly,
manufacture, marketing, and engineering of the helmets" used by NFL
players. The suit says the helmets were unreasonably dangerous and unsafe.

The lawsuit accuses the league of glorifying the violence in pro
football, and creating the impression that delivering big hits "is a badge
of courage which does not seriously threaten one's health."

It singles out NFL Films and some of its videos for promoting
the brutality of the game.

"In 1993's 'NFL Rocks,' Junior Seau offered his opinion on
the measure of a punishing hit: 'If I can feel some dizziness, I know that guy
is feeling double (that),' " the suit says.

You know what is missing in the above text, which came fromESPN’s site?

The fact that no one
held a gun to Seau’s head to force him to make MILLIONS playing football.

In fact (let me
apologize in advance for this one), the only one who held a gun to Seau’s
head was SEAU!

I’m sorry-his death was
certainly regrettable, and a tragedy for the family, but for them to act like
the NFL was covering something up means that they are saying it was unforeseeable
for them that all of those collisions and concussions might cause future
problems.

Seau is not accountable for his choices-it's all the fault of the NFL, Riddell, and NFL Films for leading poor little choirboy Junior astray.

As far as I am concerned, the lawsuit makes the NFL's case by quoting the “NFL Rocks” video!

Seau was PROUD of delivering those punishing hits!

He REVELED in his "Say-Ow" nickname!

He LOVED being on the weekly highlight reels!

If Gina Seau and Bette
Hoffman truly believe that Junior Seau was a victim, they are stupid, and I do not think they are stupid.

I know
that after a death, people reach out for someone to blame, and I am saddened for their loss.

But I would have had more respect for them if they would have reached out to the league to set up some sort of resource for former players.

The
lawsuit claims money was behind the NFL's actions.

Well, money is certainly behind the lawsuit, and
that’s a fine footnote to the Junior Seau legacy

Sorry,
but in my mind, the greedy bloodsucking leeches in this story are the
millionaires who filed this lawsuit.